At the outset of the season, members of the Fountain Valley ice hockey team might have elicited a few snickers if the answers to their coach’s preseason questionnaire had been posted publicly.

Like most coaches, the Danes’ Mike Payne asked his charges to articulate their expectations for the upcoming season. Once he collected their answers, Payne was pleased to see that many had cited making the state playoffs as the No. 1 goal.

It was a lofty target for a team that went 5-10-3 a season ago. Yet even though the Danes expected to be an improved club, Payne was not satisfied with the response. Payne wanted to set the bar even higher. Lo and behold, the Danes have come through.

Fountain Valley (16-3-1) hopes its extraordinary turnaround reaches a new peak Friday, when the Danes take on Regis Jesuit in the first of two state semifinal showdowns at the Pepsi Center.

Chatfield plays defending champion Lewis-Palmer in the second semifinal, with the winners meeting next Thursday for the state title.

“One of the goals that they all said was that they wanted to make the state playoffs,” Payne said of his players. “I took pause and said, ‘Guys, why don’t we just go and try and win it?’ I really thought we could win a couple rounds, and then anything can happen. I wanted the guys to set their sights high without being too unrealistic.”

The Colorado Springs-based institution is a boarding school that boasts the unique distinction of culling its athletes from all corners of the world. While a significant number of their players come from the Colorado Springs area, the Danes have attracted players from Canada, Alaska and New York — and even a pair of transplanted Canadians whose official hometown is Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

“Because we are a college preparatory school, we look for athletes who want to embrace all aspects of school,” Payne said. “Some find us through college prep guides. Others have found us through online services and searches.”

Opponents can be quick to cite the play of Ryder Conroy as the key to the Danes’ resurgence. The forward from Wasilla, Alaska, leads the state in goals (36) and points (68), but Payne said Fountain Valley’s improved defense has sparked the team’s breakout season.

After moving senior Eli Karp to defense and receiving a solid campaign from junior goaltender Jordan Cartney, the Danes have allowed 50 goals in 20 games after surrendering 60 in 18 games last season.

“I think last year we had all the offensive game we needed,” Conroy said. “We have really redefined our defensive game. Last year we would score five or six goals, but we’d still lose the game. This year we have really gotten better defensively, we’ve gotten great goaltending and our forwards know what to do defensively too.”

Melting pot

Fountain Valley, a Colorado Springs-based boarding school, has a small but eclectic roster for its ice hockey team. A look at the wide range of home locales for the state semifinalist:

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